SpaceQ

MDA’s 49North and Voyageur form strategic alliance to target domestic ISR contracts As the Canadian government provides an influx of capital into domestic defence procurement, aerospace firms are actively consolidating their capabilities. On Wednesday, Voyageur Aviation—a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc.—and MDA Space’s newly formed defence subsidiary, 49North, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly pursue Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) contracts for Canadian government and defence clients....

Space sector guaranteed seat as Ottawa launches Defence Advisory Forum This week at CANSEC, the federal government officially detailed the operational mechanisms driving its new Defence Investment Agency (DIA) and Defence Industrial Strategy. While mainstream headlines focused on the negotiation to acquire Saab’s GlobalEye aircraft, the key takeaway for the Canadian commercial space sector is the launch of the Defence Advisory Forum (DAF)....

Calian debuts ATHORA interoperability platform and Cohere AI partnership at CANSEC Calian Group Ltd. used the CANSEC defence exhibition in Ottawa this week to introduce two new technological initiatives aimed at Canada's evolving military procurement priorities: an open-architecture interoperability platform called ATHORA and an artificial intelligence partnership with Cohere....

Ontario unveils framework for 10-year defence strategy targeting aerospace and emerging tech The Ontario government used the CANSEC defence exposition to unveil the framework for its first-ever Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS). The 10-year plan aims to scale the province's military manufacturing sector, with a significant emphasis on advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and the dual-use technologies that underpin modern space defence....

Canadian consortium led by NordSpace awarded $3.2M from NGen for AI-powered space propulsion manufacturing Markham-based NordSpace Corp. is leading a Canadian consortium that has been awarded $3.2 million from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen). The funding will support an $8 million project designed to develop Canada’s first AI-powered hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing line tailored for advanced space propulsion....

CSMC targets 2030 for Arctic microreactor deployment following Telesat connectivity MOU Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation (CSMC) and Telesat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday at the CANSEC defence exhibition, establishing a partnership to integrate Telesat’s Lightspeed low E+arth orbit (LEO) network with CSMC’s planned Arctic microreactors. The agreement focuses on using Telesat’s upcoming Lightspeed constellation to provide the secure, low-latency connectivity required for the remote monitoring, operation, and sustainment of CSMC’s nuclear systems in high-latitude environments....

Horizons 2026: Industry leaders press Ottawa for faster action and strategic partnerships LONGUEUIL, QC – At the Space Canada Horizons conference on May 20, 2026, a private sector panel emphasized the need for the Canadian government to transition from acting as a traditional client to operating as a strategic partner. The overarching message from industry leaders was clear: structural bottlenecks and a culture of risk aversion threaten to leave Canada behind in a rapidly expanding global market....

NASA outlines iterative Moon Base strategy; Lunar Outpost awarded LTV contract with consortium partner MDA Space On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, NASA detailed its updated roadmap for establishing a sustained lunar presence through its newly defined Moon Base program, emphasizing an iterative, commercial-heavy approach over single-architecture megaprojects. The agency’s Phase 1 plan, running through 2029, will rely heavily on private partners to deliver hardware to the lunar south pole, with the ultimate goal of mastering the skills necessary for future human missions to Mars....

Canadian astronaut Josh Kutryk prepares for Crew-13, highlights space medicine and lunar ambitions at U of Calgary Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk spoke to a full house at the University of Calgary on Monday, May 25, 2026, outlining his upcoming six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Crew 13 and Canada's expanding role in lunar exploration. Kutryk, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon no earlier than September 12, 2026, shared that his path to space began as a quiet childhood dream on a farm east of Vegreville, Alberta....

Canadian student teams head to Utah for the University Rover Challenge Student teams from across the world are coming together this week to demonstrate their chops at building, programming, and operating Mars rovers. From May 27th to 30th the teams are heading to Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) near Hanksville in Utah, for the 2026 University Rover Challenge. ...